Have you heard about the Japanese balloons that floated across the Pacific Ocean in 1945 ?? apparently they were the unique weapon in modern warfare - the Japanese Balloon Bomb. More than 9,000 of these incendiary weapons were launched from Japan during the war via the jet stream with the intention of causing mass disruption and forest fires in the American West. These Balloon Bombs caused the only fatalities on the U.S. mainland due to enemy action during World War II. The existence and purpose of the Balloon Bombs were kept secret from the American public for security reasons until a tragic accident forced a change in policy Annie
Any idea if any of the rumors are true that they used or planned to use chemical or biological agents in these?
Though the Fugo balloons were the most famous, Japan wasn't the only country to use balloons in an offensive manner. Britain tried it for disseminating propaganda leaflets, and in a limited way, incendaries Operation Outward - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ferhilt, I've not heard anything about the possibility of using bio-chemical loads but it may be true. The Japanese certainly experimented with creating biological weapons at Unit 731
Apparently Ferhilt - when America was attacked by Japanese balloon bombs - US officials were concerned that these might include some of Japan's infected flea payloads, but no such biological balloon bombs were ever discovered ! Damn Interesting » WW2: Japan's Secret Biological Weapons Program
More here, Annie: http://ww2chat.com/forums/weapons-t...nese-fugo-bombing-balloons-north-america.html
